Nine black children have finally been able to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. But they had to be surrounded by more than 1,000 US paratroopers to protect them from segregationist whites.

On the orders of President Dwight D Eisenhower, the troops arrived last night in full battledress with fixed bayonets and rifles and took over from local police following three weeks of disturbances.

The children, six girls and three boys, had to walk through a cordon to get to the school building.

Outside about 1,500 whites demonstrated and at least seven were arrested.

Inside, students were warned by the commanding officer, General Walker, that anyone who disrupted the school day would be handed over to local police.

On Sept. 25, 1957, with 300 United States Army troops standing guard, nine black children were escorted to Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, days after unruly white crowds had forced them to withdraw.

When I first noticed the discrepancy in the number of troops, I had only seen the headlines from each source. The New York Times headline said 300 and the BBC said 1,000. When I looked at the detailed articles, the BBC article and headline matched. The same was not true of the New York Times. The Times headline said 300, the article never stated a number, and a sidebar to the article said 1,000 (the same as the BBC).

I do not know what could be the motivation for changing the number of troops. Nothing seems logical. Any thoughts on this one?

1957 - Desegregation at Little Rock: Little Rock Central High School was to begin the 1957 school year desegregated. On September 2, the night before the first day of school, Governor Faubus announced that he had ordered the Arkansas National Guard to monitor the school the next day. When a group of nine black students arrived at Central High on September 3, they were kept from entering by the National Guardsmen. On September 20, judge Davies granted an injunction against Governor Faubus and three days later the group of nine students returned to Central High School. Although the students were not physically injured, a mob of 1,000 townspeople prevented them from remaining at school. Finally, President Eisenhower ordered 1,000 paratroopers and 10,000 National Guardsmen to Little Rock, and on September 25, Central High School was desegregated.

The next day, September 24, President Dwight D. Eisenhower deployed elements of the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock to protect the students. The students were admitted, but endured a year of physical and verbal abuse. The next year, 1958, Little Rock closed its public schools to avoid integration.

During their ordeal the Little Rock Nine were advised by Little Rock journalist and activist Daisy Bates. Bates and the Little Rock Nine received the Spingarn Medal in 1958. In 1996, seven of the Little Rock Nine appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show. They came face to face with a few of the white students who tormented them as well as one student who befriended them.

Little Rock Central High School still functions as part of the Little Rock School District and now houses a Civil Rights Museum to commemorate the events of 1957. The Little Rock Nine were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor on November 9, 1999.